Columnist Kevin Sherrington answered questions in a chat Wednesday. Here are some highlights.

Question: Is Kiffin going to get a pass for this years atrocious Defensive performance because of the injuries and newness of his tampa system?

Kevin Sherrington: He didn't get any help from his GM as far as players, and injuries were awful. But the scheme didn't help, and he didn't make adjustments he should have made. I can't see him coming back next year, unless by losing him, the Cowboys also lose Rod Marinelli, who's done a terrific job with the defensive line. I could see Jerry giving it one more year just because of that.

Question: In order for the Cowboys to be successful they need first a GM with football knowledge, a coach with some passion, one that holds the players accountable and actually knows how to manage a game, and better player depth, a missmanagement of funds causes this. The latter two wont happen if the first one isn't taken care of. Do you agree?

Kevin Sherrington: I agree with one and three, but not two. No one ever accused Tom Landry of being passionate, at least on the sideline, and he seemed to do just fine. What you need from a coach is someone players respect. That's the question that needs to be answered. Does this team respect its head coach? We'll see.

Question: The daily churning of the roster tells your players what?

Kevin Sherrington: Parcells always said that you needed to churn the bottom of the roster. The Cowboys are churning starters. They have to, because of all the injuries. Players want to know that management is all in, so they like it when it looks like they're trying to find help. They already know they're in trouble.

Question: Hello Kevin, thank you for hosting today's chat... No sarcasm to my question, but have we officially become the laughstock of the NFL? Does Jerry Jones see this?

Kevin Sherrington: The rest of the NFL loves to see the Cowboys lose, primarily because of the old America's Team label, the popularity of the Cowboys in other stadiums, the media attention the Cowboys draw despite the fact that they've been .500 for 20 years. But the laughingstock of the NFL? Not as long as there's a Jacksonville.

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